Giving the Gift of Smiles at the

12th Annual Ottawa 67s’ Teddy Bear Toss!

The holiday season hits some families in the Ottawa region harder than others. For the past 12 years, the Ottawa 67s has recognized this issue and have partnered with Toy Mountain, the Salvation Army, and The Brick to help put smiles on the faces of children from these families by putting together the Teddy Bear Toss! This event took place on the Ottawa 67s’ home ice at TD Place.

What is a teddy bear toss? For this event, it would occur after their first goal against the visiting Oshawa Generals. 67 fans were encouraged to bring a new or gently used teddy or stuffy to toss on the ice. These generous gifts would then be collected and delivered to the Salvation Army so they can be distributed brighten the holiday season for deserving children.

This was my younger daughter’s first hockey game and she was really excited to attend the game and give a toy to a child who needed it. My children decided to donate this cuddly lamb to this event so another child could have some joy on Christmas Day.

Once we took our seats, we took in the pre-game atmosphere around us. We loved watching other families having fun while waiting for the game to begin. The scoreboard was also lit up with amusing graphics to get fans into game mode.

After the puck dropped, my daughter watched on the edge of her seat as the 67s and the Generals battled to score the first goal. This task was accomplished early in the first period by the 67s. As if on cue, a shower of toys flew from around the area onto the rink. Seeing the generosity of the fans who participated in the Teddy Bear Toss was amazing to see. Stuffies large and small covered the rink. Volunteers, players, mascots and Santa on an ATV pitched in for about ten minutes to collect all of the toys for kids who need a bit of holiday joy this Christmas.

When the last of the toys were swept away by Santa and his “helpers,” the game continued. My daughter and I had a wonderful time watching our home team defeat the Oshawa Generals by a score of 4-1.

The game was action packed and made my daughter start to think about lacing up a pair of skates to start playing hockey. Giving to the 12th Annual Teddy Bear Toss and watching an Ottawa 67s game was a great way to spend bond and have fun on a chilly Saturday afternoon. My little girl cannot wait to watch her next game.